


Julie and the Nutcrackers

by namesfey



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/M, Inspired by Barbie in The Nutcracker (2001), M/M, yes Im serious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:01:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28946349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namesfey/pseuds/namesfey
Summary: When Julie gets shrunk to the size of a mouse, she must embark on an adventure with some special friends to find the one who can break the spell.aka the barbie nutcracker au literally no one asked for
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn & Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Flynn & Julie Molina, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 14
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

Julie shook the snowglobe before placing it on the mantle, staring at the contents inside. It was her mother’s favorite snowglobe, a magnificent castle in the midst of a glittering snowstorm, a contrast to the Los Angeles sun shining through the living room windows that Christmas Eve.

“Julie,” her dad, Ray, called from across the room where he was hanging a wreath on the wall, “we still have the rest of the decorations to put up.” He peeked at her younger brother, Carlos, struggling with a tangle of Christmas tree lights. “Help your brother, please.”

Julie took one more longing glance at her mother’s snowglobe before assisting Carlos in his dilemma, tying her volume of curls back to get a better look. Every year the Molinas hosted a Christmas Day party, one that involved a few relatives and close friends for a time of laughter and camaraderie; but, after the death of her mother that past year, Julie had been reluctant to partake in the festivities. It took a while for her to warm back up to the idea, but she realized that spending time with the people she loved would be what her mother would want. That didn’t mean she wasn’t still hesitant.

As the sun went down, the tree became fuller and fuller with lights and tinsel and ornaments of all sizes. As the grandfather clock rang five o’clock, Julie’s aunt burst through the door.

“Hello!” she singsonged as she placed a tray of cookies on the coffee table in the middle of the living room, a trio of greetings ringing out in reply. “Wow, the tree looks great!” 

“We’re almost done,” Carlos said. He brandished an intricate silver bauble. “Look at this one, _tia_.” Julie turned back in favor of unboxing her own last ornament, a ballet dancer mid-pose.

“Oh, Julie,” Tia Victoria said, “that’s beautiful.”

“Mom gave it to me,” Julie said, voice soft. “The Christmas she took me to a ballet downtown.” Julie couldn’t remember exactly what ballet she saw - she was young when she saw it - but she could remember the abundance of colors and graceful arms and beautiful ladies standing on the tips of their toes. The ballerina was dark-skinned, her dark braids into a high ponytail and flowing down her back; she was balanced on en pointe, arms raised above her, her body leaned in an elegant curve; her ball gown was made of a smooth white silk, white tulle layered atop the skirt. “See the necklace?” Julie carefully moved to her aunt’s side. “It’s a dahlia. Mom’s favorite.”

Her aunt stayed silent for a moment, her face in hard deliberation before one side winning over. “I was going to save these for tomorrow,” she said, walking to the kitchen and bringing back two wrapped boxes, “but I don’t think Santa would take offense to you two opening a present early.”

Carlos ripped off the wrapping paper as soon as the box was in his hands. “Woah.” He lifted out a white Dodgers jersey with _Molina_ on the back where a player’s name would be. “Thanks, _tia_!”

“Of course, _mijo_.”

“Julie, why don’t you open yours?” Ray said.

Julie ran her hand across the waxy paper, pink and sparkling in the light. The box was of medium size, a little weighty. Feeling a hint of childishness rise in her, she shook the box, the contents rumbling inside.

“Careful, Julie,” her aunt warned. “They’re a little fragile.”

_They?_

Julie broke the seals that held the paper together - not quite as rough as Carlos, but not as graceful as she would’ve liked - unveiling a box made of dark wood. Heeding her aunt’s advice, she gently lifted the lid.

Inside were three figures dressed like soldiers, their mouths clearly defined by cuts in the wood. “Nutcrackers,” Julie breathed, her awe on display. “They’re beautiful.”

She lifted the first one, inspecting the details. The nutcracker was dressed in a black uniform with red epaulettes and cuffs, and red buttons running down the front, as well as black boots. A dot of red was placed just below each of his eyes, like rosy cheeks. His pants, though painted black, had scratches here and there, particularly where his knees would be. Across his chest and along his back was a golden sash. His black hat sat atop black wood carved to be stylized hair, a simple strip of red at the hat’s base.

The second nutcracker was more colorful than the first. He wore a uniform like the first, though this one was a pale pink with gray epaulettes, cuffs, and buttons. His pants were black, as were his boots, yet the boots also sported waving lines of pink, purple and teal. His hat was a simple black nutcracker hat, under which Julie could spy yellow hair. Like the first nutcracker, a sash crossed his chest. However, the sash was colored black and where the straps met at his hip, he sported a little snare drum.

The last nutcracker, laying in the center of the box, most resembled a classic nutcracker. His torso was adorned with a deep blue uniform jacket, black epaulettes on his shoulders and button-connected ribbons running horizontally across his chest. His pants, too, were the same shade of blue, and his boots were an immaculate white. He bore no sash, but at his side hung a metal sword that seemed like it could actually do some harm, it’s tip pointed as a needle. His hat, like his counterparts, was black, but had a white trim around its base and running up the sides, as well as a star-like emblem in the middle.

“They were your mother’s,” Tia Victoria said. Julie pried her eyes away to look into her aunt’s, eyes full of love, but also a hidden sadness. She sometimes forgot that, on top of herself losing her mother, her aunt also lost her sister. “Rose wanted you to have them. She’d been holding onto them for years, but never found the right moment to give them to you. I had a feeling now was a good time.” Julie set the center nutcracker back in the box and embraced her aunt. She pretended not to notice her dad wiping his eyes.

The rest of the night’s festivities passed quickly but merrily, and before she knew it, Julie was on the brink of sleep, sprawled on the living room couch, her body too heavy with sleep to make it to her room upstairs. It was only eleven o’clock, earlier than how late she usually stayed up, but she was exhausted from both the amount of socializing and the emotions that came along with the day. She wasn’t against it, either; there’d be even more socializing the next day when the throngs of people arrived.

Julie let her dreams take over.

Her dream that night was different than the ones before. Julie didn’t picture her mother seated at the piano in the garage, an elegant melody filling the room; she didn’t see Carlos sliding into home plate, the stands erupting; she didn’t see her dad staring absently out a window of their house (a different one every time).

This dream felt more vivid, more real, more immediate, beginning when the grandfather clock chimed midnight. As the bells rang through the silent house, a glow appeared from one of the walls from a mousehole that didn’t exist beforehand. Out flew sparks of light that explored every inch of the living room. They climbed up the walls, swirled around the Christmas tree, swerved through table legs and chairs. A stray spark danced around her three nutcrackers, somehow standing upright and out of their box.

As the light rushed past their eyes, the nutcrackers began to change. The pink and red ones’ rigidness turned into fluidity, their _woodenness_ melting away, their appearance more akin to toy soldiers, save for their disjointed mouths. The blue one, however, remained the most nutcracker-esque; though he adopted the fluidity, his body remained wooden. Together, standing next to each other, moving previously-unmovable limbs, they had an air of youthfulness about them.

“Woah,” said the still-nutcracker. “How did we get back here?”

And _that_ , somehow, was what broke Julie. She woke up screaming into the vacant living room.

She took several steadying breaths. Okay. No sparks, no mousehole, no nutcrackers coming to life. It was all a dream. Right?

Julie peered at the carpet below her. Staring right back at her were her three nutcrackers. Julie couldn’t help it. She screamed again.

“Oh my God, please stop screaming!” the pink nutcracker shouted, his hands covering his ears (or where his ears _would_ be). “Do you want to wake the whole house?”

Julie slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. _How are they talking? How are they_ alive _?_ Slowly, she sat on the floor, eyes never leaving the nutcrackers. Though she still towered over them, she wanted to get as close a look as possible. “Is this really happening?” she said, mostly to herself. She poked the red one.

“Hey!” he laughed. “That tickles.”

“This can’t be happening,” Julie said. “Three nutcrackers came alive in my living room. No, stop talking to them. This is just another dream. You’re dreaming.”

“You are?” the red nutcracker spoke again. “Are _we_?” He reached over and pinched the blue one, who yelped.

“How did you do that?” the pink one asked. “We don’t even have real skin.”

“So I guess we’re not dreaming,” said the blue one, rubbing his arm where he’d been pinched. He looked up at Julie. “Which means you aren’t either, I guess. But, hey, anything beats being stuck in a box for - what year is it?”

 _Might as well play along with...whatever this is._ “It’s twenty-twenty.”

“- For twenty-five years!”

“Hold on...it’s been twenty-five years?” asked the pink nutcracker. The other two nodded. Julie thought she heard a murmured _Yeah, that’s what he just said._ “I have been stuck in a box for _twenty-five years_? How is that possible?”

“Did you miss the whole Caleb-overthrowing-the-kingdom-and-using-his-scepter-on-us thing, or something?” the red nutcracker said. He gestured at the three of them. “’Cause we were all there when it happened, Alex.”

“Well, not everyone,” said the blue one, elbowing the red. “She’s - I’m sorry, we didn’t get your name.”

“Julie…” she said, hesitant. This was just...too weird.

“Julie wasn’t there when it happened.”

“Oh, you’re right.” The red one nodded, then waved to her. “I’m Reggie, by the way.” He gestured to the pink nutcracker. “This is Alex.” Alex raised his hand in acknowledgement more than greeting. “And that’s L-”

“Nutcracker,” the blue one interrupted. “You can just call me Nutcracker.”

“And you’re _sure_ that’s what you want to be called?” Alex said. Reggie was barely (and badly) holding back a smile.

“It’s gonna make things smoother, Alex, trust me.”

“Speaking of,” Julie said, centering the conversation. “What’s this about a scepter and overthrowing a kingdom?”

A bright blue light severed whatever answer had begun to form. The mousehole had made its reappearance. Julie watched as out marched - and, she could’ve guessed this - mice. Bipedal, armored mice holding swords and spears. Though, on par with everything that had happened so far in the night, she shouldn’t’ve assumed anything less.

At the back of the mice army stood a small man - though, probably a tall man from her nutcrackers’ view - decked in royal purple and bearing a gold staff with a red jewel at the end. In short, he did _not_ look friendly.

“Hello, boys!” the man called, he and the mice nearing the couch. His voice matched his devilish grin. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Um, who’s that?” Julie asked, uneasy.

“Good evening, my dear,” said the man. Julie’s nutcrackers moved in front of her, guarding her as best they could. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Caleb.”

“Overthrew-the-kingdom-and-used-his-scepter-on-us Caleb,” Reggie stage-whispered to her.

“Ah, so you _have_ heard of me,” Caleb said. “Then maybe this won’t come as a surprise.” Before Julie could interpret that, yellow beams streamed toward her, enveloping her in what felt like the inside of the sun, bright and searing hot. Was she dying? Oh my God, she was dying. But then the pain went away, as did the light, and Julie opened her eyes to find herself miniaturized, hidden behind her nutcrackers.

“Well, that’s not good,” Alex observed.

“All right, everyone behind me,” Nutcracker ordered.

“What are you gonna do?” Julie asked, Reggie and Alex flanking her.

“I’m the only one with a weapon,” Nutcracker said, unsheathing his sword. “Might as well use it.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault I lost my sword!” Reggie said, pouting. “I was still immobile when that happened.”

“Not the time, Reg,” Alex warned, his voice growing frantic.

“Will you three _ever_ quit it with your meaningless banter?” Caleb growled. “Even as nutcrackers you’re all still thorns in my side.”

“No reason to stop now, then, eh?” said Nutcracker, surveying the horde or mice.

“Enough talk,” said Caleb. “Get the other two and the girl,” he addressed his army. “Leave their ringleader to me.”

Julie didn’t know what she would’ve done if left to her own devices. Luckily, she had two semi-nutcrackers by her side, who seized her hands and began tugging her across the room. She couldn’t see where Nutcracker and Caleb were or who was winning, but she _could_ hear the sound of clanging metal, so not all was lost just yet.

But she was running out of stamina. Julie was quite a bit shorter than Reggie and Alex, and it was fair to say she wasn’t well-versed in running multiple lengths of her living room when she was less than a foot tall.

“Guys, stop,” she panted. “We can’t run the whole time.”

“What are you suggesting, then?” Alex said, veering them to the left. “We don’t have anything to defend ourselves.” As if on cue, a spear flew from behind and knocked Reggie’s hat off.

The three rounded the legs of the couch, now nearing Caleb and Nutcracker from the back. In the time that the three of them had run a perimeter around the room, Caleb had climbed on top of the coffee table, shooting beams of light at the blue soldierboy below.

“He’s gonna get worn out soon,” Alex said.

“I know the feeling,” Julie replied. _There’s no way he can beat Caleb down there._ “We’ve got to help him.”

Okay. They were stuck on the floor with an army of mice at their heels and no defense. No biggie. So what _can_ they use? Reggie’s sash. Alex’s drum. Julie’s….Julie looked down. White shirt. Blue day dress. Sneakers.

“I’ve got a plan,” she huffed, legs burning from continuous movement.

“Probability of success?” Alex asked.

“Maybe ten percent, if I’m being lenient.”

“Good enough for me.”

Julie breathlessly ran through her plan with the guys. “Ready?” They nodded. “All right. Break!”

Reggie passed Julie his gold sash before he and Alex peeled away from her side, shouting taunts at the mice, directing them away from Julie. She, on the other hand, sprinted straight for Caleb and Nutcracker. Even from as far away from them as she was, she could tell Nutcracker was tiring, his dodges slowing as Caleb’s beams scorched the living room rug.

Julie saw Nutcracker run for the cover of the table’s underside. She halted, still a few feet back (was it still considered feet if you were inches high?), and ripped one of her sneakers off, setting and securing it where the sash curved. She raised the world most interesting makeshift sling above her head and spun it around and around and around and around and -

It was now or never.

Julie released her sneaker, chucking it forward, sending the shoe flying up and away. This was it. The moment of truth. She probably should’ve chosen something she’d had experience with - not everyone has experience slingshotting a tennis shoe - but desperate times called for desperate measures.

_Please, please, please, please please-_

The sneaker collided with Caleb’s head right as he peered over the table’s edge, knocking him forward. Time seemed to slow as his body fell down, down, down, landing on the floor in a pile of limp limbs and purple fabric.

The room fell startlingly silent. Julie leaned on her knees, taking in huge gulps of air. Bodies whizzed past her - the mice, rescuing their commander and fleeing into the mousehole.

“You get more air if you stand up.” Alex’s voice came from beside her. He and Reggie must’ve been freed of their own danger, the last of the mice disappearing into the darkness in the wall.

“Julie, that was _awesome_ ,” Nutcracker said, rejoining the group. “How did you do that?”

Julie shrugged. “Ten percent luck.”

“Well, thanks for your help,” he said. “Caleb looked pretty knocked out, so we should be able to make a dent in our travel back to Parthenia before he thinks of attacking us again.”

“Well, before you go, do mind changing me back?” Julie said, gesturing to her evident shift in size.

“You aren’t coming?” Reggie asked.

“I mean…” Julie trailed off. She wasn’t prepared for them actually _wanting_ her to join.

“We can’t turn you back, anyway,” Alex said. “Only the Sugarplum Princess can reverse Caleb’s spells.”

“Which is why we need to find her as well,” Nutcracker added. “I don’t know if you could tell, but we used to be...not nutcrackers.”

“I think I can help!” A tinkling sound came from the Christmas tree, drawing their attention. A figure was descending, dropping from branch to branch, before landing square on the floor.

Julie squinted, her mind putting puzzle pieces together. “You’re...you’re my ornament.”

_Sure. Why not?_

“The name’s Flynn,” the ballerina supplied.

“Are you the Sugarplum Princess?” Nutcracker said, careering toward Flynn. She jumped out of the way at the last minute.

“Careful there, Wood Boy, I’m made of porcelain,” Flynn warned. “But no, I’m not Plum. We’re besties, though, and I know where to find her.” Julie saw her nutcrackers exchange exhilarated grins. “She lives on an island across the Sea of Storms.” Julie saw her nutcrackers’ grins drop.

“But it’s impossible to cross the Sea of Storms,” Alex said.

“It’s dangerous,” said Flynn. “But not impossible.”

“So we cross the Sea of Storms and ask her to change me back,” Julie said. “How do I get back home?”

“Oh, yeah.” Flynn unclasped her dahlia necklace and gave it to Julie. “Once Plum turns you back to your normal size, press the center of the flower, and you’ll return home.”

“Cool!” Reggie said. “Did you want to come with us, too?”

“Uh,” Flynn said. Apparently she wasn’t prepared for them to want her to join, either. She shrugged. “Yeah, sounds fun. I’m not doing anything here, anyway. Hanging from a tree and looking pretty _does_ have its boring moments.”

“Okay, but we’ve gotta get a move on,” Nutcracker pressed. “I want to get to the Sugarplum Princess with as little risk of dying as possible.”

Julie motioned to the mousehole. “Lead the way.”

One by one their group of five entered the hole in the wall, Nutcracker at the front, Julie only followed by Alex. The darkness swallowed all the light that might have lit their way.

“Ugh, I can’t see a thing,” Julie complained. Only her echoes answered. She couldn’t hear her friends’ steps - it wasn’t too soon to call them friends, right? - ahead of her. She glanced over her shoulder, but Alex was nowhere to be seen. “Alex?” Julie spun back to the front. “Guys?”

Suddenly, the ground opened up below her, and Julie dropped into a wormhole of glowing blue.


	2. Chapter 2

Willie hated the castle. He would never say so in front of Caleb, but he really did hate it. The constant cold was something to be despised; no matter how many layers or how many blankets he piled on, Willie always found himself shivering.

Then there was the fact that the majority of the castle’s population was comprised of mice - human-sized mice, but mice nonetheless. In the early days of Caleb’s transfer of power, he turned the castle’s people into his mice army, forcing them to do his bidding lest they be turned into whatever stone figurine he desired that day.

As his reign continued, every person Caleb disagreed with was turned into a mouse, until the group of residents became an army, controlled by fear. The people who managed to evade him fled to the woods. That group, however large, hadn’t been seen or heard of in years, but Willie knew they were out there. They _had_ to be out there.

But despite being constantly surrounded by mice afraid for their lives, Willie’s least favorite thing about the castle was feeling completely and utterly alone. He kept to himself, walked deserted hallways, avoided the stares of the soldiers who passed by. He knew they were envious of his retained form, his skin and hair and overall _person_ -hood. That made him walk a little faster.

The feeling was even worse when the day turned dark, the moon shining large and luminous as it always did in Parthenia. At night, Willie could hear the skittering of the mice inhabitants as they patrolled up and down, passing his room. At night, he huddled under sheets upon blankets upon quilts, craving a warmth that would never arrive. At night, his shivers were his only companion as he drifted into a restless sleep.

All things considered, he knew he shouldn’t be complaining so much. Caleb had spared him from rodentdom _and_ allowed him to live in the castle, but Willie’s current living situation came with several conditions. His current journey to the throne room was part of one of those conditions: _do my bidding_.

Inside the throne room, His Royal Highness Caleb Covington was sitting - well, he was sitting on the throne, draped in his usual purple regalia. In his hands was a map of sorts. His face was close to the paper, his crystalline blue eyes inspecting the contents meticulously. At Willie’s entrance, Caleb put the map to the side. “William.”

The lack of tone in Caleb’s voice caused Willie to stop a few feet back from where he normally would, suddenly apprehensive. “Hi, Caleb,” Willie said, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice and appear nonchalant. “What’s up?”

Caleb, always one for the dramatic, sighed and rose from his position, striding over to a table displaying more sheets - more maps, no doubt. “I assume you’ve heard the news?”

 _News?_ “No, I haven’t heard anything.” Then, to himself, “Didn’t know you ever left, to be honest.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” Willie said, a little too quickly. “Nothing. I just...hadn’t heard anything.”

Wrong move.

“Well, while you were doing-” Caleb gestured vaguely, voice harsh “- _whatever_ you were doing, I was attacked. _Bombarded_. I barely made it out alive!”

Caleb’s words reverberated off of the cold stone, “alive” repeating over and over, weaseling into Willie’s ears and cementing into his mind. Willie dropped his head and stared at his own shoes, his long brown hair like a shield between him and the man in front of him. _It's not your fault, Willie. It's not your fault. It's not._ “Parthenians?”

“Of a sort,” said Caleb. Willie felt the room shift. Caleb must've finally glanced in his direction. “When I first came into power, there were three among those who fought against me - three nutcrackers. They were incessant in their defiance. I couldn't find it in myself to kill these revolutionaries - though criminals to the crown they were. So, to maintain my control, I had to banish them to a far-off land. From that place, I was confident they would never return.

“But last night, as I was on my personal patrol, I found them, alive and vengeful. They attacked me, as I said, but, as I made it out breathing and intact, there is no doubt in my mind that they’re on their way here, set on destroying me. Which brings me to why you are here.”

Caleb walked toward Willie, his elegant boots clacking against the floor. Those boots stopped inches from Willie’s own scuffed ones. “Look at me, William.” Willie did, his eyes staring directly into those of the King. “I know you've enjoyed your time here relaxing and...and relaxing, but I have another mission for you.” Caleb placed a hand on Willie’s shoulder. Willie fought the urge to squirm. “I need you to find them. Learn some information. When you have information, report back to me.”

“You want me to spy on them for you,” Willie clarified. “Reconnaissance again?”

“Don't be so quick to judge, William,” said Caleb. “These are traitors and insubordinates we're talking about. This is a dangerous undertaking, and I'm trusting _you_ to carry it out. Can you or can you not do this?”

One the one hand: possibly (probably) getting attacked by a trio of ravenous criminals. On the other hand: an opportunity to get out of the castle for a few hours.

“Sure,” said Willie, straightening his overall posture. No reason to give Caleb an excuse to doubt his confidence. “I’ll do it.”

Caleb smiled, an expression Willie couldn't help but feel had malice hidden behind it. “Excellent. Remember: this is for information retrieval only. Do not interfere with them. Now go, leave right away.”

Willie turned, heading for the door. He'd need to pack a couple provisions before he left.

“William,” Caleb called. Willie halted in place, dreading what words would come next. “I said, ‘Right away.’”

Willie scanned the upper areas of the walls, where pale light streamed through large, multi-paned windows. One of which was propped open.

Damn it.

Julie didn’t expect to fall into a pile of snow. She didn’t know where she’d end up, really, but on top of a pile of powdered snow was not high on her list. At least it provided a cushioned fall.

Around her, walls of ice rose high above, giving Julie the feeling she was in an arctic cavern. It was difficult to discern where some walls ended and others began, how far away the opposite wall was, how far away _anything_ was.

That is, until she saw her new companions rising from their respective landing sites, groaning as they righted themselves.

_They didn't leave me!_

A couple feet behind her, Alex searched the snow for his hat, which had fallen off in descent. When he _did_ find it, he pulled the brim of the hat to the back like boys at her school liked to do with baseball caps back home.

_Back home._

Julie couldn’t go back now even if she wanted to. The tunnel - slide? hole? Julie didn’t know - had disappeared. Though, that would imply that the tunnel-slide-hole had ever materialized in the first place. One second Julie saw blue; the next: white. With no sign of returning, their only option now was to complete their mission of finding the Sugarplum Princess.

“Is everyone here?” Nutcracker called. He turned, finding Alex, Reggie, and Flynn. Everyone except - “Julie?”

“Here,” Julie replied, standing and brushing off excess snow. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know,” was his answer.

“Definitely not where we’re supposed to be,” Reggie said, trying to help. “We must’ve taken a wrong turn back there.”

“Hold on,” Flynn said, turning this way and that, as if searching for something. “Do you guys hear that?”

The group fell silent, straining their ears, listening for whatever Flynn was picking up. And then - there! Julie could just hear it, a ringing sound nearing with every heartbeat, a wind chime on the move. Something sparkly whizzed by.

“What is that?” Julie asked. “A firefly?”

“A snow fairy,” Nutcracker said.

“Makes sense, being in an ice cave,” Alex said. The spark hovered near Reggie’s face. “Aw, Reg, I think she likes you.”

Reggie held out his hand. The sparkle settled, then faded, revealing a girl colored a pale purple from her hair, loose and flowing, to her petite ballet shoes. Delicate purple wings extended from her back, nearly see-through.

“Hi, I’m Reggie,” he said to the fairy. “What’s your name?” When the fairy opened her mouth to respond, her answer came out as a ringing, like the sound from before.

“Okay, guys,” said Nutcracker. He broke off from the circle the five of them had subconsciously formed. “The fairy’s cute, but we need to find a way out of here.” At the nearest wall, he took out his sword and stabbed at nowhere in particular. The sword made the tiniest chip in the ice, if at all, but left a long, echoing clang.

“Any more brilliant ideas?” Alex teased.

Nutcracker ignored him. “The walls are solid ice. We’re gonna have to find another way out.”

As if on cue, a strong wind blew through the cavern, pushing the group in all different directions. Once it settled, Julie moved her hair away from her face and gasped. 

The air was filled with flying sparkles, swirling like flurries of snow. Julie squinted, trying to see what these fairies looked like. Rather than fading, one of the sparkles in front of her exploded like a firework, revealing a blue snow fairy, her bodice and tutu made of snowflakes. Another sparkle exploded, revealing a similar fairy. Then another. Then another. When all the snowflake fairies were revealed, they began moving their slender legs, their arms moving the same.

“What are they doing?” Julie said to no one in particular, entranced by the motions of the fairies.

Alex was the first to respond, a grin on his face - strange, given his current anatomy, but Julie found it pleasing more than unsettling. “They’re _dancing_.”

The five of them (four, if you discounted Nutcracker, who still stood impatiently by the ice wall) watched the snowflake fairies dance around them. Eventually, Reggie’s snow fairy leaped from his hand and joined them, twirling and curving in complicated coordination. Julie thought she could hear the faint sounds of an orchestral song playing, but no instruments or players were to be found.

_Magic._

The fairies broke off into groups, each group circling Julie and her friends. Julie’s tugged at her fingers, pulling her into different stances and positions. She followed along, her own smile emerging. Leap, twirl, point the foot, bend forward. Spin, arms up, arms out, bow.

Julie quickly glanced to her other friends, who were eagerly copying their own fairies’ movements. Reggie was giggling as he fumbled along, and Flynn and Alex giggled as well, watching his disjointed movements while they performed their own fluid ones.

Nutcracker, however, was trying his best to fight against the onslaught, stumbling over his feet from the snowflake fairies’ pushing and prodding. “C’mon, Nutcracker,” Julie called, “play along!” Nutcracker caught her eye, the fight leaving him slightly.

She danced over to him and grabbed his hands, spinning him around in graceless circles. Julie felt his grasp tighten, then loosen to hold her hands comfortably. Some of their snowflake fairies regained their shine and spun and exploded around them, a lightshow all their own.

“You having fun yet?” Julie poked. She could see the ghost of a smile on Nutcracker’s face. But a bright light interjected before Nutcracker could respond, so intense the pair had to turn away. And just like that, the light and fairies were gone.

“Where’d they go?” Julie asked. She found herself doing a lot of that - asking questions - and she expected she’d be doing more of that in the future.

“Probably off to make a blizzard somewhere,” said Reggie. “I hope we see them again, that was fun!”

“Fun is definitely a word for it,” Nutcracker said. He and Julie turned back around, letting go of the other’s hands in the process. Julie instantly felt a coldness where Nutcracker’s hands had held hers, but felt a warmth spread to her face. She hoped no one could see how red her face likely was. Instead, Julie focused her attention ahead of her.

Where the light had been was now an opening in the ice, sun radiating through. The rays reflected off the ice, giving the ground the illusion of a twinkling pathway. Julie, mesmerized, stepped through.

Outside held the most incredible view Julie had ever seen.

The walkway of snow ended at a small cliff, a trail winding downward off to the side, but _beyond_ was something altogether. Rolling hills of green spread to the far left and right, bearing evergreen trees still frosted with snow. Before her, though many miles away, near-hidden mountains stood tall like giants.

“Welcome to Parthenia,” Nutcracker said from her side. “Home.”

“It’s beautiful,” Julie said. She took in a lungful of air. _It smells like peppermint._ Julie told him as much.

The crunch of snow signaled Alex, Reggie, and Flynn’s exit from the cave. Flynn wore an expression similar to Julie, full of awe, but with a hint of familiarity. The other two, however, looked close to crying.

“I never thought we’d be back,” Reggie said. He clung to Alex like he was the only thing holding him up. “It’s been so long.”

“And it’ll all be gone soon,” added Alex, sorrow coating his voice. “Thanks to Caleb.”

“Which is why we need to find the Sugarplum Princess,” said Nutcracker. “With her help we’ll be able to defeat Caleb once and for all. So we better get going.”

They all stood there a moment longer, soaking in the view. Then, one by one, they walked in single file down the trail into the dense forest below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact as i was writing this it was snowing (and the power was briefly out and we lost our water for about a day but everything's peachy now) :)
> 
> hope yall enjoyed the chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> so there's the first chapter! i hope yall liked it. i am fully aware that im publishing this in january, but by brain loves to inconvenience me. also, i don't have the rest of the chapters written as yet, but i hope to write the rest really soon and get those out! for now, consider this a placeholder. also also, this does follow the movie somewhat closely, but i hope to have some deviation here and there to make it my own.
> 
> also also also, kudos and comments are always welcomed!! i love hearing what people have to say
> 
> also also also also, if you want, you can find me on tumblr at sunsetcurveauto <3 thanks!!


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